General Mattis Quotes On Leadership

If you’re looking for some inspiration on leadership, look no further than General Mattis. Here are 99 of his best quotes on the topic:

The Importance of Leadership

“Good leaders don’t hide behind anonymity.”
“The most important six inches on the battlefield is between your ears.”
“The most important quality that a commander can possess is moral courage.”
“Leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character. But if you must be without one, be without the strategy.”
“A leader should never put out a statement or make a decision that cannot be explained to the most junior member of his team.”
“The commander’s job is to keep the morale of his troops high.”
“You can’t buy leadership; it’s earned through hard work and sacrifice.”
“Leadership is not about being in charge. It’s about taking care of those in your charge.”
“Leadership is a matter of having people look at you and gain confidence, seeing how you react. If you’re in control, they’re in control.”
“The best leaders are those most interested in surrounding themselves with assistants and associates smarter than they are. They are frank in admitting this and are willing to pay for such talents.”
“The leader must own everything in his or her world. There is no one else to blame.”
“Leadership is solving problems. The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them. They have either lost confidence that you can help or concluded you do not care. Either case is a failure of leadership.”
“A true leader has the confidence to stand alone, the courage to make tough decisions, and the compassion to listen to the needs of others.”
“The most effective leaders are always investing in their people. They are constantly improving themselves and improving their team.”
“The art of leadership is not to spend your time measuring, evaluating. It’s all about selecting the person. And if you believe that the person has the potential, you give them the freedom to explore that potential.”
“In a leadership role, you can never please everyone, but you can always be fair.”
“A leader’s responsibility is to provide purpose, direction, and motivation to their team.”
“A leader can never be happy until his people are.”
“The job of leadership is not to put greatness into people, but to elicit it, for the greatness is already there.”
“Leadership is not about being the most powerful person in the room. It’s about empowering others to be the best they can be.”
“The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things.”
“Leadership is not a popularity contest; it’s about leaving your ego at the door.”
“Good leaders are always learning. They are never done growing and improving.”
“True leadership lies in guiding others to success. In ensuring that everyone is performing at their best, doing the work they are pledged to do, and doing it well.”
“A leader is a dealer in hope.”
“Leadership is about making others better as a result of your presence and making sure that impact lasts in your absence.”
“To lead, you must first listen.”
“Leadership is not about being perfect. It’s about being open, honest, and willing to learn.”

Leading in Times of Crisis

“In this age, I don’t care how tactically or operationally brilliant you are, if you cannot create harmony—even vicious harmony—on the battlefield based on trust across service lines, across coalition and national lines, and across civilian/military lines, you need to go home, because your leadership is obsolete.”
“In war, there are no unwounded soldiers.”
“The most important thing a commander can do is to keep his soldiers informed.”
“In a crisis, don’t hide behind anything or anybody. They’re going to find you anyway.”
“You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didn’t wear a veil. You know, guys like that ain’t got no manhood left anyway. So it’s a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them. Actually, it’s quite fun to fight them, you know. It’s a hell of a hoot. It’s fun to shoot some people. I’ll be right upfront with you, I like brawling.”
“You cannot allow any of your people to avoid the brutal facts. If they start living in a dream world, it’s going to be bad.”
“The first thing you do when you get into a new organization, whether it’s a company or an Army battalion, is you get the plan and you start moving.”
“You are part of the world’s most feared and trusted force. Engage your brain before you engage your weapon.”
“We’ve backed off in good faith to try and give you a chance to straighten this problem out. But I am going to beg with you for a minute. I’m going to plead with you, do not cross us. Because if you do, the survivors will write about what we do here for 10,000 years.”
“You cannot allow any of your people to avoid the brutal facts. If they start living in a dream world, it’s going to be bad.”
“Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everybody you meet.”
“The enemy may be cloak in ideology or religion, but at the end of the day they all have one thing in common: they are cowards who hide behind innocents and they can be defeated.”
“A leader must be a good communicator and be able to convince people to follow him or her, even when the situation is dire.”
“The most important thing a commander can do is to keep his soldiers informed.”
“You cannot allow any of your people to avoid the brutal facts. If they start living in a dream world, it’s going to be bad.”
“The first thing you do when you get into a new organization, whether it’s a company or an Army battalion, is you get the plan and you start moving.”

Leading by Example

“Demonstrate to the world there is ‘No Better Friend, No Worse Enemy’ than a U.S. Marine.”
“The more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war.”
“Leadership is not about being the most powerful person in the room. It’s about empowering others to be the best they can be.”
“When you men get home and face an anti-war protester, look him in the eyes and shake his hand. Then, wink at his girlfriend because she knows she’s dating a pussy.”
“The most important six inches on the battlefield is between your ears.”
“I come in peace. I didn’t bring artillery. But I’m pleading with you, with tears in my eyes: If you f*ck with me, I’ll kill you all.”
“You cannot allow any of your people to avoid the brutal facts. If they start living in a dream world, it’s going to be bad.”
“The more you know, the less you need.”
“Be the hunter, not the hunted: Never allow your unit to be caught with its guard down.”
“The Marines I have seen around the world have the cleanest bodies, the filthiest minds, the highest morale, and the lowest morals of any group of animals I have ever seen. Thank God for the United States Marine Corps!”
“I don’t lose any sleep at night over the potential for failure. I cannot even spell the word.”
“Marines don’t know how to spell the word defeat.”
“The most important thing a commander can do is to keep his soldiers informed.”
“The first thing you do when you get into a new organization, whether it’s a company or an Army battalion, is you get the plan and you start moving.”
“The more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war.”
“Leadership is not about being the most powerful person in the room. It’s about empowering others to be the best they can be.”

Top 10 Ideas and Tips for Celebrating “General Mattis Quotes on Leadership”

Organize a book club to read General Mattis’s memoir, “Call Sign Chaos: Learning to Lead.”
Host a leadership workshop or seminar and use General Mattis’s quotes as discussion points.
Create custom t-shirts or posters with your favorite General Mattis quote.
Organize a charity event in honor of General Mattis’s commitment to service.
Set up a mentorship program for up-and-coming leaders, using General Mattis’s leadership principles as a guide.
Host a screening of the documentary “Mad Dog: Inside the Secret World of General Mattis.”
Invite a military speaker who has worked with General Mattis to share their experiences and insights.
Stand ready, we finally have a Secretary of Defense that understands from sk.pinterest.com